Book jacket



May 8, 1934. M. I, WILLIAMSON BOOK JACKET 2 Sheeis-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 30, 1931 INVENTOR arshoH l. Wil

y 1934- M. l. WILLIAMSON 1,957,926

BOOK JACKET Filed Jan. 30, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v R Y o E n T N wNNNM-NNNWWMNN XmWNNMMMNMMMNMMYWMMMMMMWMMWMMMMM d m m I m .0 .u n g w W h w I m I 1 (T: l A r 9 n n 7 7 m y M s ow mm on wf Y B S mm Patented May 8, 1934 ETD PATENT OFFICE The invention relates to books and book jackets, and especially to improvements designed to increase the utility of the book. or jacket and at the same time to provide a novel and advantageous advertising medium.

In its broader aspect the invention consists in multiple or fan-folded sheets or flaps connected permanently or detachably to the book in such positions that certain of the flaps or sheet sections may be inserted between any selected pages of the book, serving as markers, and also in manipulation of the book by a purchaser or user practically compelling his attention to be directed to advertising subject matter imprinted on either or both sides of any or all of the insert or marker sheets or flaps.

In the embodiment of the invention here disclosed, its novel features are incorporated in a book jacket having portions applicable or attachable to the book covers, and one or more multiple, folded flaps having or being adapted to receive advertising matter or other indicia and being arranged to cooperate with leaves of the book as markers in such manner as practically to compel observation of the advertising or other indicia.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention are further sufiiciently explained in connection with the following detail description of the accompanying drawings, which show representative embodiments. After considering these examples, skilled persons will understand that many variations may be made without departing from the principles disclosed; and I contemplate the employment of any structures that are properly within the scope of the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view'of a book in open position, with a jacket thereon, embodying the invention in one form.

Fig. 2 is a section at 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section at 3-3, Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan of one side, which may be considered the reverse side, of a blank foldable to form the jacket of Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 5 shows the obverse side of the blank.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of a jacket blank showing a modified form of retaining flap.

Fig. '7 is a plan of a blank capable of being folded to varying dimensions conforming to varying book dimensions; this blank also shows the use of transparent portions of the jacket.

The jacket in one preferred form (Figs. 1 to 5) consists of a blank 1 (Figs. 4 and 5) of suitable foldable sheet material, usually paper of substantial thickness and durability, and of any 'desired quality, and includes the following portions: front outer cover 2, front inner cover 3, rear outer cover 4, rear inner cover 5, back portion 6 between the front and rear outer cover portions, and retaining flaps 7 extending from upper .60 and lower edges of the front and rear inner cover portions. The blank is designed for folding or bending, as indicated by the dotted lines 8, 9 and 10 which may be actually imprinted on either or both sides of the blank, or may be crease or score lines to facilitate folding or bending; otherwise there may be no actual lines imprinted or otherwise placed on the blank and the dotted lines in such case are here shown merely for explanatory purposes.

The book jacket of ordinary or known charac-- ter consists of the above described front outer cover 2, rear outer cover 4, and back portions 6, with short tuck-flaps or inner cover portions extending from the said front and rear outer covers as indicated by the dot and dash lines 40, 40a, in Fig. 4. The ordinary or known book jacket also is not provided with the retaining flaps 7, or equivalent.

Principal novel and distinctive features of the so invention, in combination or association with a jacket of the type described or other known or suitable forms of jacket proper) consist in additional blank portions or foldable flaps 11 and 12 extending from the inward fold-edge 13 of either or both of the inner front and rear cover portions 3 and 5; the flaps 12 being each folded, first forward and then back, on the lines 13 and 14.

When applied to a book, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the back portion 6 of the jacket overlies the book back 15; the front outer cover portion 2 overlies the outer face of the front book cover 16; the front inner cover portion 3 lies against the inner face of the front book cover; the similar arrangement of the portions 4 and 5 in relation to the rear book cover 17 is sufliciently obvious; the retaining flaps 7 are turned in between the outer jacket cover portions 2 and 4 and the outer faces of the book covers and the additional or extension flaps 11 and 12 are folded along the lines 13 and 14 and normally located within the limits of the book when closed.

Retaining flaps such as 7 may in some cases be omitted; but when used they have an impor- 1 5 tant function in retaining the jacket parts in position and preventing slipping of the jacket in relation to the book covers when in use; and

especially when these retaining flaps are prothey serve normally to retain these blank portions in proper positions against inner faces of the front and rear book covers.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the retaining flaps 7 extend the full length of the upper and lower edges of the jacket portions 3 and 5. Their inwardly located edges 30 may be out diagonally, as shown, to facilitate insertion in proper positions as above referred to. To additionally facilitate the insertion of retaining flaps, their shape may be modified, as shown in Fig. 6, in which the retaining flaps have rounded outward edges 36, and extend only along outward edge portions of the blank sections 3 (or 5). When the jacket is placed on a book, these flaps are located near the inner portions of the covers and are very easily manipulated in folding and inserting them between the covers and the jacket portions 2, 4.

Desirably, to realize one of the principal objects of the invention, as will appear, when the book and jacket are properly arranged for shipment and sale, the extension flaps 11 next adjoining the inner cover portions 3 and 5 (either or both) lie between the respective inner cover portions 3 or 5 and the first and last pages of the book, and the second or outer flaps 12, extending from flaps 11, are placed between any desired ones of the book pages 1%, usually near the front and rear of the book.

Thus, in an example of one preferred arrangement, Figs. 1 and 2, the flaps 12, which may conveniently be referred to as marker flaps,

are placed, with respect to the front flap, between the second and third pages of the book while the rear flap 12 is placed say between the second-last and third-last pages. The utility of this or similar arrangements will appear hereinafter.

In accordance with usual practice, certain portions of the obverse face of the blank, Fig. 5, are imprinted with suitable indicia appropriate to the book for which the jacket is intended; thus the front outer cover portion 2 bears the book title 20 and any other desired subject matter, such as a decorative design 21; the back portion 6 has analogous imprints 22, 23; and other parts of the blank, such as marginal areas of the inner front and rear cover portions 3 and 5 may have imprint columns 24 descriptive of the book as usual, especially in the case of fiction publications.

An important feature of the invention, as referred to briefly above, is that it provides a novel and advantageous advertising medium or facility, premitting book publishers to derive a revenue from advertisements of commodities which may be unrelated to publications or to the book on which the jacket is placed. Thus, in a particular example, as shown, advertising matter may be imprinted upon either or both faces of any or all of the flaps 11, 12. The lines 25, Figs. 1, 4. and 5, dividing the flap areas into sections are intended to represent any such advertising indicia, or separate ads of different commodities imprinted upon the flaps.

Such advertising matter so imprinted upon the jacket flap has an important relation to the preferred mode of arrangement of the jacket parts in relation to the book as above referred to and as shown, for example, in Figs. 1 and 2. Thus, when the flaps 12 are inserted in the manner shown and above described, in the act of opening the book covers the advertisements on the obverse faces of flaps 3, 5 and 11 are practically unavoidably brought to the attention of the book purchaser or user; and similarly, in manipulating the combined fan-folded flaps 11 and 12 or in looking for the main title page of the book positioned between them, the indicia thereon will be observed; also in unfolding or opening out flap 12 to gain access to the front pages of the book, the indicia on the inner or reverse faces of these flaps will be exposed. Briefly, therefore, the invention provides an advertising medium of definite value since the book user is practically compelled to observe this subject matter in the ordinary uses of the book to which the jacket is applied. The flaps 12 (either or both) also serve during the life of the jacket as markers insertible at any desired points between the pages of the book, and the user is therefore strongly induced to keep the jacket upon the book, so the advertisements will have a sales value of indefinite duration.

The obverse face of the rear outer cover portion 4 is also usually available for advertising indicia of subject matter unrelated to the book, since it is in most cases unnecessary to imprint this portion of the jacket with subject matter relating to the book or with a book cover design or the like.

The jacket formed and applied to the book, as described, is securely retained thereon without risk of inadvertent unfolding or slipping from the book, as in the case of ordinary jackets without retaining flaps, as customarily used on fiction and other volumes; and since the present jacket is free from such annoying characteristics the user is encouraged to keep it in use, for the protection of the book covers and with continued utility of the advertising feature or function. At the same time the jacket members are easily removable from either or both of the book covers to permit inspection at the time of purchase or subsequently, and are easily replaced, especially in the case of the retaining fiaps'of the form shown in Fig. 6, which are easily inserted or reinserted in proper position, as previously explained.

It will now be understood that in the broader aspect of the invention, as briefly referred to early above, the insert sheets or connected flaps, such as 11, 12, are connected to the book structure, this connection in the specific example given being afforded by parts of the jacket, which is attachable to the book and to which the insert sheets are connected. Other modes of attachment or connection to the book structure,'may, however, be employed and this attachment may be permanent instead of separable. Thus, for example, if the jacket portions 3 or 5 are pasted to the inner faces of the book covers, the insert or marker sheets 11, 12, will thus be permanently connected in proper positions in the book structure. This is only one example of variations which are within the scope of the broader claims.

If desired, the margin of an inner flap, say either or both of the flaps 12 may have an irregular contour to provide an extension for grasping the flap and thereby facilitate manipulation of the flap; preferably, such extension is disposed to project exteriorly of the pages of the book to facilitate manipulation of the flap, such as the extension illustrated toward or at the right hand end of the blank shown in Fig. 5. Also, if desired, any of the outer right angled corners, such as the corners of the two outermost flaps 12 may be cut away to present a rounded or other suitably contoured corner to thereby facilitate insertion of either flap within a page and also to prevent bending over, creasing or other misshaping of the flap corner.

My invention, moreover, is applicable also to the jacketing of books, of various size with but one stock size of jacket, such as for circulating libraries, schools and other institutions. In Fig. 7, I have illustrated such an adjustable form of book jacket, in modification of the above stated embodiments of my invention, like parts being designated by like reference characters. In the embodiment thus shown, the upper extension portion of the blank, that is to say, the portion projecting above the dash line 51, as viewed in Fig. '7, is substantially continuously above and integral with the jacket cover portions 2, 4 and 6, as well as 3 and 5; said extension portion 50 being foldable on the line 51, thereby to provide additional thickness of these several portions of the jacket, and particularly at their resulting fold-edges; the extension portion 50, when thus folded, is interposed between the jacket cover portions 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, and the outer faces of the covers and back of the book to which the jacket is applied.

The corresponding lower extension portion 52 is foldable on selectable fold lines, as indicated by the dash lines 53, 54, etc., in accordance with the height of the book.

Adjustment with respect to various widths and thicknesses of books is provided by correspondingly folding the book jacket at selectable locations indicated by the vertical dash lines 57, 58, etc., and also by compensating adjustment of the fold lines 59, 60, etc.

When thus folded to fit a particular book, the end folds 61 of the upper and lower extension portions 50, 52 of the blank, and the inner cover portions 3, 5, together form substantially C shaped pockets at each end of the jacket proper into which the covers of the book may be inserted to hold the jacket in place.

The present invention seeks to attain the desirable commercial status of effecting book jackets as a source of revenue, Whereas book jackets heretofore have been an item of expense; for volumes of low retail price, the cost of book jackets has been of relatively serious amount. My invention attains this desideratum of paying for itself as well as producing a revenue, and, if desired, as in the case of libraries, schools, books published in series or other related order, the printing on the jacket of titles and other matter, illustrations, symbols, etc, peculiar to individual books may be obviated by the provision of windows of suitable transparent material, cutouts, and the like, thus enabling book jackets, applicable for a very large number of books of different titles, to be printed with the same printing setup, that is to say, with respect to advertisements or other standard matter appearing on the jacket at locations other than the windowed or cutout parts.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. '7, I illustrate such a cutout or transparent window 55 disposed in the jacket back portion 6, to afford view of the title marking on the book back, which window or cutout may be utilized singly for this purpose in the blank illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. However, for the adjustable form of blank, as illustrated in Fig. '7, the extension portion 50 is also provided with a window or cutout portion designated 56, which is located so that upon folding the said extension portion 50 at the designated fold line 51, the window or cutout 56 is brought into substantial register with the window or cutout 55.

Whereas, I have described my invention by reference to specific forms thereof, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:-

1. A book jacket comprising connected portions applicable to the book covers and back to form a jacket proper and a sheet connected to the jacket proper and including foldably and serially connected portions one of which is adapted to be inserted between leaves of the book.

2. A book jacket comprising connected portions applicable to the book covers and back to form a jacket proper and a sheet connected to the jacket proper and including foldably and serially connected portions one of which is adapted to be inserted between leaves of the book, while the other portion lies between a cover and the next adjacent page of the book.

3. A book jacket consisting of foldable sheet material, and comprising back and outer cover portions, inner cover portions and an extension on one of said inner cover portions foldably connected thereto and folded to constitute a serially double flap, one portion of which is insertable between leaves of the book.

4. A book jacket consisting of foldable sheet material, and comprising back and outer cover portions, inner cover portions and an extension on one of said inner cover portions foldably connected thereto and folded to constitute a serially double flap, one portion of which is insertable between leaves of the book, while the other portion lies between said inner cover portion and the next adjacent book leaf.

5. A book jacket of foldable sheet material, comprising back and inner and outer cover portions, foldable extension portions connected respectively to the top and bottom of said cover portions, and foldable extension portions connected respectively to the side extremities of said inner cover portions, each of which said side extension portions is adapted to be further folded to constitute a double flap, one portion of which is insertable between leaves of the book.

6. A book jacket consisting of foldable sheet material, and comprising back and outer cover portions, inner cover portions, an extension on one of said inner cover portions foldably connected thereto and folded to constitute a double flap, one portion of which is insertable between leaves of the book, and retaining flaps foldably connected to upper and lower edges of certain of said cover portions.

'7. A book jacket for a book having front and rear covers, consisting of foldable sheet material, and comprising back and outer cover portions, inner cover portions, an extension on one of said inner cover portions foldably connected thereto and folded to constitute a pair of serially related flaps, one of which flaps is insertable between leaves of the book, and retaining flaps extending from upper and lower edges of said inner cover portions, said retaining flaps having each a length materially less than the length of the upper and lower edges of the covers of the book and insertable between the book covers and said outer cover portions of the jacket adjacent the line of connection of the book covers with the book back.

8. A cover for a book formed of a folded sheet comprising inner and outer cover enveloping portion to be insertable between selected pages of the book.

10. A cover for a book formed of a folded sheet comprising integrally connected inner and outer cover enveloping portions, two flaps foldably and serially integrally connected with one another, one of said flaps being directly integrally secured to one of said cover enveloping portions, the other of said flaps being arranged when in extended position to be insertable between selected pages of the book.

MARSHALL I. WILLIAMSON. 

